INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Inspired by the film BAT*21 plus a childhood spent in and around Cessna-built aeroplanes, Chris Jones builds ICM’s newly tooled 1/48 O-2A Skymaster.
Cessna’s O-2A Skymaster was used extensively by the USAF over Vietnam; its high wing afforded excellent visibility which, combined with its manoeuvrability, loiter time and comparatively slow speed, made it an ideal platform for the Forward Air Controller (FAC) role.
Skymaster pilots patrolled areas of interest, observed enemy movements and used smoke rockets to mark targets for air strikes by faster, more heavily armed warplanes. Beyond that, the O-2A also had a starring role in a Vietnam War film...
MODEL SPEC
Family resemblance
Perhaps unusually, I grew up in and around Cessna products; my Dad had a private pilot’s licence and I was extremely fortunate to fly from a very young age. As a result, I’ve always felt a great affinity to the Cessna 172s in which I often travelled. However, it wasn’t until much later in life that I stumbled across the film BAT*21, which stars the Cessna O-2A Skymaster alongside actors Danny Glover and Gene Hackman. The connection resonated with me immediately, and seeing an O-2A getting ‘chucked around…
